By Jillian Atelsek
Every night for the first two months after Alysia Bone gave birth to her youngest child, a different neighbor brought dinner to her doorstep in Garrett Park, Md.
Such neighborliness is not unusual, Bone said. Parents in the small town are connected through an email list, and they coordinate the same service for any family who brings home a new baby.
“It’s been a huge, huge help,” Bone said. “It’s a great example of the community feel.”
Garrett Park originated in 1898 when the Maryland General Assembly passed a special act allowing it to incorporate. The town has about 400 homes and sits northeast of Bethesda, between Route 355 and Rock Creek Regional Park. For both longtime residents and relative newcomers like Bone, who moved there in 2014, Garrett Park’s appeal lies in its history, its natural aesthetic and the social connection of its neighbors.
The town was designated an arboretum in 1977 because of its great variety of trees — a designation that allows it to plant a greater variety of species than is normally permitted in Montgomery County. Its quiet, curving streets were laid out to resemble a park. There’s only one road into and out of the town, lending it an insulated atmosphere. Read more at The Washington Post.
Photo: Linda Thome, right, and Chris Aaron walk Lila in Garrett Park, Md. The town of about 400 homes sits northeast of Bethesda. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)
